Sci-Fi

When Andy Davies, founder of Sci-Fi Hotel, decided to move forward with plans to build a "cat tree for geeks" (his words), it seemed a no-brainer that he would have to include an out-of-this-world bar to toast his accomplishment.

To this end, Davies set up a meeting with Swiss artist H.R. Giger to talk about bringing a version of Switzerland's famous Giger Bar to the United States.

The H.R. Giger Bar is a work of art in itself, boasting a comprehensive "Alien" biomechanical environment -- from floor to ceiling to furniture -- all designed by the artist.… Read more

A quick update regarding yesterday's software giveaway: The very apologetic AOMEI rep noted that the service responsible for distributing license codes was overwhelmed with the response, but that codes should be arriving "sooner or later." That said, they have now listed the code right on the giveaway page, so if you didn't get yours, now you can.

So. With the holidays rapidly approaching, many folks will find themselves with some much-needed leisure time. And to my thinking, nothing fills that time better than a good book.

When you go to the Google home page in some parts of this world on Friday, you might think you have a medical problem.

The page, you see, won't stop moving. It seems as if there are vast numbers of strangely dressed men performing the Riverdance. (This is true at least in certain Anglo-centric iterations of Google.com, such as .au, .nz, and .uk. The doodle has yet to manifest itself on the US home page.)

Actually, this is the Whodle. Or at least this is what it's been known as during its four-month development.

How does the Serenity stack up against a Bothan assault cruise? Or a Turian corvette against a D'Kora-class marauder?

These questions -- and more! -- can be answered by spending some quality time with a piece created by sci-fi fan and DeviantArtist Dirk Loechel. His science-fiction-spaceships comparison chart, a work in progress, contains more than 200 spacecraft, from those in "Alien" to those in Warhammer. … Read more

An upcoming 75-minute special called "The Day of the Doctor" celebrates the 50th anniversary of the iconic sci-fi television program "Doctor Who." While the special show isn't anything new, a mint poster that debuted Thursday should re-illuminate your sonic screwdriver.

In case you're unaware, the anniversary spin-off stars outgoing Doctor Matt Smith; his predecessor (and tenth Doctor) David Tennant; and David Bradley, who plays the first Doctor -- a role originally portrayed by the late William Hartnell. Seasoned actor John Hurt, as well as Jenna Coleman and Billie Piper, round out the prominent cast. … Read more

Three types of people generally inhabit costuming (cosplay) culture: those who buy elementary outfits from places like Party City; those who pursue advanced costumes that tally up hundreds of dollars; and truly dedicated folks like Andrew Miller, who invested hundreds of hours into creating his own custom-made Boba Fett getup.

For Miller, a Michigan office worker, being Boba Fett -- or at least looking and acting a whole lot like the intergalactic bounty hunter -- has become a second life of sorts. The pictorial below explores Miller's "Star Wars: Return of the Jedi"-inspired Boba Fett outfit, which took many years of dedicated work, research, and painting -- and, of course, extraordinary attention to detail -- to achieve. … Read more

Thirty-five years ago, sound designer Ben Burtt introduced an early version of legendary "Star Wars" bounty hunter Boba Fett to director George Lucas and select members of the "Empire Strikes Back" production team -- an epic behind-the-scenes moment you can now watch as if you were there.

"The Boba Fett character is really an early version of Darth Vader," George Lucas says in the visual novel The Making of the Empire Strikes Back. "He is also very much like the man-with-no-name from the Sergio Leone Westerns." … Read more